Hot-fruit cooling and treating apparatus



Sept 3, 1929. r. w. w. FoRREs'r 1,726,816

HOT FRUIT COOLING AND TREATING APPARATUS Filed June 17, 1925 PatentedSept. 3, 1929.

'rnoms'w w. ro'nitnsirjor nxiiiilnii en i, 'non or danmomrlragff o z5.7" fw ":n.-i1 This invention relates to apparatus for cooling ,andtreatinghot dried fruit, especially suchl fruit as has been:previously-rendered hot by my process of treating driedfruit, de.-

scribed in my copending application filed un. der'Serial No. 37,67 6 onJ, une4 y17 1925.',

- lThe objectofitheinventionisto provide means for f carrying -out theabove mentioned process in which vthe cooling of the `-ruitmust becarried out in stages in order to. secure the bestre'sults aswell as theprovisionof means for-treating the fruit-with oil during the cooling offthesame..^-,l,-\f`;A f; i1 .1i-r? tz: .In the drawings heretothe'preferred form of my 'invention is illustrated and-'in which.drawing ,Ei'gure fly-is a- Jsigle elevation of the -apparatusrwhileFig-ure 2is an enlarged cross vs ection of Figure 1 takenfalong-theline2-2 vilhieroilfff-:'- i' f5 "'vtl l1- .f'.`\".i.=': ff 2;" 2G f sBriefly described the apparatus fcomprises ya long horizontally-arrangedcylinder through which thel fruit is-conveyed and variously vtreated intransit, .While at bothI ends ofi-the t j cylinder are sealing -gatesrespectively ar- 25.1;angedvfor admitting-and discharging fruit A toandrom the cylinder while preservingtlie cylinder'substantiallyclosedagainst the outer atmosphere.. 1 y Y l In practice severalcylinders/.are .fused in 3o `-orderito control thevarioustemperaturesand gase sus edin .the-treatment of .the `fruit. A i

4In furthendetail the-drawings show. `at -1,

y an outer horizontally 'arranged vcylindrical tubel o r. chute, inpracticejoi g .about 30,1eet in length by a ootindiametergand spacedly;arran ed .within .p which anlinner gcylinder 2 oaout 9 inchesindiameter, fg, j

I The inner cylinder is sealed fromtheouter v cylinder and at both endsthe inner cylinder 4o jcoinmunicatesI with -a sealing .gate @fand 4 forrespectively delivering. and .removing fruit to the inner cylinder.` v,l. 2 ,.l l

. Within the ,inner 4.cylinder is rotatively imounted ga spiralvconveyor y 5 for conveying the 1 fruit `:from one lgate 3, ,and throughthe The conveyor 1s mounted o nxa shaft 6 which projects through.both-ends of; 'the conveyor ,l ousing forY bearing supportand tosupportThe gatesandfiy maybe of any.;type ,of

construction .which' will constantly.pass ziruit u oftheA welll kno. s

orevolving 'styp`e1drive'n by .chain-or other g'earing and :9.respective; ly 1from :some commonipower ,sorce,fsuch as theYconve'yorlsh'aft; 16, 'so as :to :havea a? proper 1 capacity ,relationtogl the installation'. i' i '.2

f. Abovethe outeracylinderil is Vanother cylinf der l0 .of about thesame' diameter-'extending substantiallyi lthe jull length thereofif: z i.f a ,This cylinder l() isl open to the inner cylindery 2, onlyzaalongl:the 1; length ,of-cylinderA l0 throughI a slot' or elongated passagelll and constitutesE a -fheader -lfori the,- inner lcylinder. Thisheader 10 i 'and lower.' outer,` cylinder 21areidivided;bylamerticalrbafle or wa'llzl2,, out',- tingoitheflowerintercylinderf space l'into two.separatecompartmenta;thedirstmonm being relatMiv-ely,l -\lon L- fromthef 'receiving end of the cylinderant the ofllnz-v B fatthfefdislcharge.Y endi being relatively-gshort1 orswabout 011 SxXth;O-lthe. O'l'lDgth-''fofl. all 'l 'f1-1s l un In i the section 5A, no;communication f exists between cylinders l ,-and. 2 andfthe long fspacebetween themais4 used fior* circulating water entering at pipel lfij'anddischarging at pipe 1 5, Y 11n the shorter section B, .the innercylinder is perforated 'with very` ne vholes along a zone', at one sidenear the l bottom f as indicated at 16,- in ,`Figur,e-.1, and?moreclearl A inFigure 2, and @ripe-.17; extendingithrouffthen P0:

site side of the outer cylinder delivers a re rigerant gas sujchfasairuprlide r-,-lo ,vv1 pressure; to 85 the` shortf yintercylinder`space'forexp21,ll$0n (through the perforations 1,61 f into.4 U`the 2inner cylinder, www.

wg i 1I; @wifi l Abovethe head 1f-l0 .extendsa common exihansb i xpipei18 i v@.Onirivm.satiriaff ,at treinta, f1.9 fwth :the long compartment.oflfthe beelden-.'10

:and M120. with the shorter -CQmpartmentv-f 'fr =Th'si fppe is.exhausted 'byfany .suitable means not showin-,f soastoidrawfotl'lthevapqrs from thahot f-ut-zenterng@belong Section Atoff-the .Conveyplnd the expansrigareirigff Snftsitheintention .te`c0015. theapp Matus nractie .1151i .freezfrom moist .va- ,the 'ndorfthQheaderrso that a small 'amount `of aircanbe admitted ito:the. headertostanta Siphoilfiies ft were tha attenuate@ .91st vepprs #am the fruit if mi f- Poryanar-inl Qontrol-gate 2.1.,1S arranged@ .draft itherethrough to theiJ header tand.. ,tlips f.,

il( ,w l et several fpgliats. alongthe Cenina Re arranged@ Liemers,-22,223L1and- 24 i 1t. ,ateniiiiand out 0f 1h16 Cylinder, .andere hereShown @einge gegenteil-morena lesz'dretly-upon a 1 oil may l"be foun thefruit 25, and inside of thexcongeyor, as dicatedinFigu-e 2, the oilentering thea'tomizer head through pipe 26 and air Anofslnso.pipo-,boing indoffod ab?? ngi-'1h it's'jconltrol valve a`t 28l`j Thespiral "conveyoris' out its length with holes (about 11/8 diametor atabout 4 oooior) fo showen-23a@ in rotation of the conveyor in directionof the arrow (Figure 2) the fruitbanlzsf'upzonmne side of thecylindrical casing 2 direotlynover.

the perforations ril-6 sonthat ythelrefrigerant gas expands directlyWithin theibo'dyfofirutl .In operation,'previously hea-ted'ifruit, suchfor instance asfhot raisins romfthe s eeder,` which itis desired tosubject tof the'contro'lled r cooling and .treatment lof' lthe-apparatus,fen ters fthe conveyorbinza. regulated ide'livery through thegatefilto lorig compartmentjA where :itl is -iztgitated fby: thefconvey/orf' and moved ralong' in contaot'withfthevwater cooled Wallsoflthe icylinderrrwhilthe heatedfand moist ivapors farewvithdrawnthrough vthe 'suc-l tion `of.l the header-,ff and' the temperature ofthe circulating fvvatr" 'being' gradually l' raised as .it circulatestovvard 'thelre'ceiving end f of the, conveyor the fruit-is 'n'otlsud'de'nly chilled but suffers lonlya. verygentleprogressiveexltraction fof lits-f heat asv lit l-passe'slto' thecooler endl ofi the:f long compartment;j their; whenf it enters theshorter-fsection'B,litfismoreapidly lowering'thereoflasit nears'fthemain point' of 'entrance of the'Tefrigerating-gas which' blows throughitfromthep'ipel'.- 2"." l f f IIn the'case 'of raisinsthe 'amojinerant'expanded should beisuc'h todr'op'the temperature2 ofi -th'e'raisins" to'sub'vstantially that ofi the atmospheric airi'o'ufvl theoperating room, soi they mayg-be 'packedl without l'sv'veatlng. I 'r" i'L'."'ln-"nff 3l."v :cl 'I The relatively large p'eriorations'29 in ltheconveyor' are'for tlie purpose 'of' permitting a certain percentage'v'off the conveyed fruitl'to pass through and thus` promote a tumblingfaction throughout the lfruit insuring zits* turn- 'f ing over andAover, andftheperforationslarge enough to pass the' frui-t fare fo'undftobe a very superior wayf 'of 1 ,accomplishing ijthis lwithout ,injury tothe ffrit as sometimes occasioned byanotch'e'd convyorf- '1i j' Wfl? Theapplication off Qilto the fruit'i's'gseen to be' at the beginning of thegentlecooling zone, near the end of thegentle cooling zone,U nd'at'the'b'eginning'ofthe-rapid -'cooling zone; and n'vhile 'more'r less.pointsto'f application of the d yuseful "vvith` lvarious varitiesof:fruit the',arangeinntffdescribedI is found goed, forrf-'rjjsinsoiaefpyinggbut my 6o proces'sre'ferred tow; "1" ',ff

The oil thus pphed,'not only -improves'j the quality of the.: fruit'morej'partioxilarly pointed vout in 'mylcopendinfglap' lifationre-'ferred,to, but also lbicates the inside of the conveyo'r'c'sin'g'andthespiral flightssftliat the atomizing y .mure-easilygconveyed along andthe flight also more easily revolves against the casingwherever it maycontact the same.

lngontem latingnthe,abovendescription it willienntp-emanavariouslengths, 'diamete's,"capafc`1tisieft; lllr'ia'y bel given 'the variouselements, alstliat' other conveying @no-goverment;frotoia-.Spooio SpinalConveyor may be used, and that the conveyor may be Risulta-t'anyrspeed'gdependcnt on the requirement of the fruit to be treated.h'lclafqngn'ily?. o2 ffii :L ".If' f f 'Ta-'Fruit .treating "'app'arausof the characterifdescrihdfcomprising an enclosed tubulavcasing?,=aconveyorimounted in the casing adapted to-conveymeansrlapplyinga 'cooling agent to the exteriorlo theoas'ing adaptedyfor gently cooling ing fthearuitflduririg the 's first portionv of itstravel' vthiouglfltlie' conveyor, and means for applyiogo'foo'ologcasing 'adaptedfor moreirapidly vcooling the fruit 'ati thel terminatinglportion" of its travel including a nozzle directing# 'a' refrigerantgaslf dreotly'poii ithej/'rllit for expansion thereuponbrrniioixf'xl'tarilsf'e 1l g Y. f l2. Fruit-tretingzfapparatus of thecharact'e'r'lddscxjibedcmpising 'an enclosed tubularasingtfabonveybmounted inthe casing adapty ed to convey heated fruittherethrougl1,-means ifor'applyinga vc'zo'o'ling" agent to 'theIthe'oaslhg adaptedforfg'e'ntlv cooling the fruit duringit'hefiijstandina-j or portion of its travel throlghfftheicbveyorgand means forapplying-,acolingfagenttolthe exterior of the Casl'ingadapted?for 1more'rapidly' cooling the ffruit'at thetermination and minor portion of'its-travellvincluding a-nozzle directing a refrigerant gas directlyupon the fruit for exparisien thereupons -'35 .Antapparatu's ffor'-treating dried v fruit comprising ai "Conveyor "casing,- a conveyor-'theienfjadapt for' conveying 'fruit therethrough-"Whilefgitatingandturning over the Vs`aj1ifie,ar1d'a'pluralityof spaced atomizersdirectedy intol th'ca *for* controlling and, atomiz'ing blasts lof oilto the frruit at''fplurality of points along said 'conveyorf du ,ii'igfthe' operation of "the con- ;aeydrsif f f o l fs #A11 appamfus'of the"fiii'cl-udingaf 'cylindrical casing, a spiral conveyor adapted for cnvey'ing dried fruit therethrou'gh'lwhile agitating' and turning overthe lsalne," and t'anyi atoi'iierfadapted and arranged agentto theexterior'of the Character ydescribed heatedlfruit therethrough, f

exterior ,of L

Sgiflflranged vand adapted f f for ejectir adcontrolling'anatomizedblast *5; App'a latu's for treating fruit comprising 'an elongatedenclosure, a fconve or extending *Within the enclosure adapted*orc'on-veying Ddried Afruit therethrough, 4sealing o gatos of orjpositefends of ltheonveyor'adapted lrespecv'tively' forlldelivery'and'ejection of said' fruit theret'nd therefrom, suction means adaptedfor withdrawing vapor from said enclosure, and agate adapted forcontrolled admission of the outside atmosphere to said enclosure forcreating a draft to said suction means.

6. A structure as specified in claim 5 and Said gate being positionedadjacent the receiving end of the conveyor only.

7. An apparatus of the character described including a spiral conveyorrotatably mounted in a casing, an outer casing spaced from the firstmentioned casing, and a baffle wall separating the outer casing spaceinto separate compartments.

8. A structure as specified in claim 7 provided with means forseparately cooling the separate compartments.

9. An apparatus of the character described including a horizontallyarranged spiral conveyor operatively mounted in a cylindrical innercasing, a second casing outside of the inner casing and spacedtherefrom, a cylindrical header extending along the conveyorcommunicating through the outer casing with the inner casing and asuction pipe communicating at spaced points with the space within saidheader.

10. A structure as specified in claim 9 wherein the communication of theheader and inner casing is in the form of a slot defined by wallsextending through said outer casing.

THOMAS W. W. FORREST.

